Do you ask for extra feedback after reviews?

[Huma0]

Many of us strive for the perfect 5* ratings across the board, and can get a bit sensitive when a guest rates down in a category. Now, it's not necessarily a big deal, and some guests are difficult to please regardless of what you do, but when you have a guest who seemed happy with their stay and provides no written feedback to explain a lower rating, do you wonder if there was something you could have done better? Perhaps it's nonsensical, perhaps it's valid and there is room for improvement. How are we to know though, when no feedback is given?

Here's an example. The guest leaves a short but positive review with no private feedback (also no note in the guest book, nor response to my message after check out asking if her journey went okay - neither of which bother me, but could potentially be relevant here). She gives me 5* overall and 5* in each category, except for cleanliness, which she leaves 4* for. That's fine. It's not a bad rating and not detrimental to Superhost status, but I now have no idea what made her rate down in that particular category. There must have been something...

Just a general question here. Would you be tempted to ask the guest (who was all smiles, never complained about anything and commented on how lovely and clean her room was and also had a shower to herself the whole stay even though bathrooms are listed as shared) what the cleanliness issue was? I don't mean in an accusatory way, just to get some feedback to improve and help avoid that issue in future, or would you just leave it alone?

[Huma0]

One of the reasons I am tempted NOT to ask is that this room has always received lower ratings than the others, despite it being arguably my best room, even for location, and it is in the same house as the other two! So, I realised a long time ago that it attracts fussier guests and there isn't a lot I can do about that.

Or, maybe there is something I can do. I just don't know what...

[Pat271]

Sometimes when I have received 4s in any category and the guests haven’t contacted me with any problems, I have asked them. I tell them that I am always looking to improve, and that I would appreciate it if they could tell me what I could have done to improve their stay. I keep the tone very conciliatory and non-defensive.

I’ve only done this a couple of times. Once time the guest wasn’t even aware she had given me less than a 5 in all categories, one just said they didn’t give it much thought, and one didn’t answer at all. So I don’t know how useful it is to make this inquiry.

I’ve found the most useful feedback I’ve gotten is in the Private section of the review. It seems that more guests are leaving “advice” in the private section (especially other hosts - lol), and leaving very good reviews in the public section. I think they must realize how important these public reviews are, maybe through reading forums such as this one. I welcome any and all comments of this type, and have even followed up with improvements because of them.

[Huma0]

@Pat271 

Well, if they would leave some kind of explanation in the private feedback, that would be helpful indeed. However, in the example I gave above, there was none.

The guest herself was very clean and tidy, so perhaps my standards weren't up to scratch for her. However, after I did an interim clean of her room, she commented on how lovely and clean it was. So, there was something else going on there. Why would she rate 5* in everything other than cleanliness?

I also have very rarely asked guests this question, but a couple of times that I did, it turned out to be worthwhile. One was early on when I asked why the guest left 5* in all categories but 4* overall. She was mortified and said she was sure she left 5* overall and there was nothing wrong at all. Airbnb agreed to change the rating to 5* (although not sure they would do that these days) when she confirmed that was the rating she had meant to leave.

The other time was when I asked a guest who seemed happy with her stay and left a completely positive review and private feedback why she left me 3*. She admitted she had no idea 3* was bad and the reason for the rating was because the listing was over her 'initial budget' (she had asked me more than once for an additional discount before booking and then her aunt, a Superhost, seemed to have convinced her to book my place anyway). She told Airbnb to remove the review/ratings, which they did.

So, actually, on the rare occasions I have asked, sometimes it has worked out well. The only other time I asked, it didn't... but it didn't make matters any worse either.

[Gillian19]

@Huma0 I sometimes ask and sometimes get a response - generally the responses haven't been very helpful but for the odd one that is at least I can take action from their comments. So if you have the time then I would ask rather than trying to second guess people.

[Huma0]

Thanks @Gillian19 

I am not overly concerned about that particular example I gave, but I wouldn't mind knowing, in case there is something I could improve. The guest seemed happy and I was happy with her, so if there was anything she was too shy to mention to my face or in the private feedback, then I would appreciate knowing what I could do better.

[Gillian166]

 So I had a guest leave me this review
and it was irking me a bit that he said my photos were bad so I asked. 

Turns out, he wanted to take a photo on the swing in one of the paddocks,  perhaps inspired by this photo I have in the listing:

But on the day they stayed the grass was very long (end of winter, and due to excessive rain we can't mow that paddock until it dries out), so the grass was "too long" and he couldn't take a photo on the tyre swing.  !! 🤦🏻‍♀️  and btw, the grass is like maybe 1ft long, in no way does it actually impede the photo taking, but I suspect he didn't have appropriate footwear + city sensibilities.  And has since been mowed once the weather cleared.  So I'm relieved to know there's nothing actually wrong (this guest also got lost trying to find the pool, even though it's opposite the cottage and i have a map in the manual and a photo on the listing), I guess that's something. 

Luckily for me this total 0*  newbie didn't trash my ranking with his ridiculousness. he gave us 5* Overall. phew. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

That's one of the daftest things I've ever heard in a while. Clearly this person had no logic. The fact that he was trying to imitate your photo proves how much he admired it, so that should have been a positive, not a negative. Silly man.

[Helen3]

I had a guest mark me down for accuracy because they felt my listing was much nicer in person then it is in the photos 🙂

[Huma0]

@Helen3 

Yes, I've heard of this one before, so you're not alone. I think @Anonymous mentioned the same thing.

[Jennifer2682]

Lol, I just had one give me a 4* on location because, even though they could see the lake from the house, they told me via private feedback that they couldn't figure out how to get to it.  Even though it says in my listing that the closest public lake access is "just two miles down the road" at the State Park.  (Literally.  Turn right out of the driveway and drive two miles and you're at the lake.)  Even though there are directions in my hard-copy house manual.  Even though I was very much available via messaging, text, and phone during their stay if they had any questions.  And even though there are two big signs on the road leading to the house pointing the way to the lake.  All I could do was shake my head.  But I suppose it's better to know that some people just aren't very bright rather than that there is something actually wrong with the location!    

[Huma0]

@Jennifer2682 

One of my favourites was a couple who left all sorts of odd feedback with their review, including this:

Accuracy 4* - "The listing is very detailed and accurate, but only if you read it."

That one really made me shake my head. They also mentioned here that, while they knew there were stairs and that they had no problem with them, others might. The stairs are of course mentioned on the listing, but there is also a photo of them (Airbnb photographer said it was good to include for people who didn't read). So, were these guests expecting others to not read the listing AND not look at the photos?

Honestly, their whole feedback was written like a guidebook for the clueless. It wasn't directed at me at all. I think they got confused.

[Sudsrung0]

@Huma0 

I have never asked for any feedback, 

But I do think why sometimes guest do that,

Recently had 2 women stay for 2 days and gave 4 stars for cleanliness, 

Thats wrong, but I never asked,

My apartment was perfect I myself was there with the cleaner the day before and my cleaner is good she already works in a 5 star hotel and she cleans for me.

The one thing I do get dinged on is Location but I dont hide it, I recommend you need a car or scooter and we are 3.5km to the beach. 

I did have a guy some years ago he said if I give him discount he will give me a good review, 

[Gillian166]

@Sudsrung0  I'm kinda glad I asked, cos my guest said to me it wasn't about my photos, which are lovely (he said). And perhaps he'll think twice about leaving such a low rating for future hosts because he might have to explain it afterwards. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 @Sudsrung0 

I don't normally ask. I think, in fact, that I have only asked twice.

When I mentioned a third time, that was actually not asking. I messaged the guest to point out that something she said was not true, i.e. that something wasn't mentioned on the listing, and she admitted her mistake, and said she would change the review, but of course, I had to explain that was impossible. Oh well, what can you do. This point was mentioned twice on the listing and in THREE messages to the guest, but some people don't read.

The two times I asked for feedback about star ratings was where there was no indication whatsoever about the scores and they took me by surprise because the guests seemed very happy. In both cases, it turned out that the guest had made a mistake. One guest asked CS to change the rating (when they still did that) and the other for her review to be removed (which it was). So, in those circumstances, it was well worth it.

The example I gave in the screenshot is pretty mild and a case where I probably wouldn't ask. I don't think it was a mistake, I just wish she'd given some indication as to why.  If there is something I can improve about cleanliness, it would be useful to know. On the other hand, of the few times guests have rated me down on cleanliness AND left feedback, it's usually not been a cleanliness issue at all (like @Gillian166's example wasn't an accuracy issue), e.g. that the floorboards creaked or that they didn't like the distressed stairs or the vintage chairs. It's almost always something to do with the house being old, rather than dirty, but there is no category for that!